Oil Spill Drill Tests the Emergency Response in the Santa Barbara Harbor

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Emergency responders who will be called out at all hours in an oil spill emergency are testing their gear and plans to be ready for the next call.

Hundreds of feet of protective "boom" was towed out into the harbor entrance to align it in a way that would keep surface oil out and control the spread or a natural or man made oil mass that could come into the harbor entrance.

Over a thousand boats are inside along with sensitive shallow-water marine life and sea birds.

The drill involved the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol, The Department of Fish and Wildlife agency known as OSPR which is the Office of Spill Prevention and Response, the U.S. Coast Guard and Patriot Environmental Services.

The Santa Barbara Harbor crew trains regularly, but this joint response is needed to create a real life scenario.

Harbor Patrol Lt. Ryan Kelly says the city has an oil response trailer that can be activated quickly but with the other agencies they can coordinate a larger response for a major event. "There is a lot of interdepartmental coordination," he said.

If there was a call for of a spill, "we would respond with our vehicle tow it out to West Beach and close off the harbor and as everyone was getting together we would coordinate a plan," said Kelly. "Our response would be from West Beach to the end of the breakwater. We have special hooks to support our booms."

The larger effort would take place when the larger agencies got on scene.

(More details, video and photos will be added here later today)

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